Black Theatre Live Announce Hamlet as Next Show

Currently touring with The Diary of a Hounslow Girl, Black Theatre Live has announced that it will be touring with the UK’s first all-black Hamlet from September 2016.

This new production of Shakespeare’s tragedy will be directed by Jeffrey Kissoon, who has worked for the RSC and the National Theatre in the past.

Award-winning playwright Mark Norfolk will adapt the play from Shakespeare’s original folio edition to create a contemporary version that gets to the heart of Hamlet’s dilemma.

Denmark, a Black Empire of modern England, where an intelligent young student discovers the world he once knew has crumbled. Implored to defend what is left of his father’s decaying legacy, Hamlet now faces the greatest moral challenge – to kill or not to kill.

Talking about the production, director Jeffrey Kissoon said: “In Hamlet we reflect on the Black experience, anxieties, and sensibilities in a modern era. Shakespeare’s wonderfully rich text explores a tormented humanity, asking the searching questions of life and death faced head-on by a young Black Prince. ‘Remember me’ is the theme of this production: by saying ‘Remember me’, the ghost of Hamlet’s father is urging Hamlet to remember not just him, but his background, heritage and all those that came before him.”

This touring production will visit venues such as Watford Palace Theatre and Stratford Circus.

Black Theatre Live is now in its second year and aims to bring high quality performances from diverse perspectives to venues across the UK.